How the American Health Care Act could impact children

HEALTHCARE | The American Health Care Act recently passed the House and is now being considered in the Senate. The bill includes a repeal of insurance mandates under the Affordable Care Act, loosening of restrictions on insurers and most crucial for children, cuts to Medicaid spending. (Atlantic, 5/18)

One of the [Medicaid] program’s crucial pieces for children is the Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment benefit, or EPSDT, which outlines a set of services essential for childhood growth. Those services go beyond those required by law for adults, including testing for lead poisoning and in-home care. Based on the existing AHCA language, that benefit would likely be erased in states that accept the Medicaid block grant, which could translate to children on Medicaid receiving less comprehensive care.

The block-grant scenario would also erase protections in place that limit premiums and out-of-pocket spending on behalf of children, which means that states would be free to make up for Medicaid shortfalls by cutting benefits and making kids’ parents pay more.

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